SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

Vessel Name: Panta Rhei
Vessel Make/Model: Able Apogee 50
Hailing Port: Seattle
Crew: Larry and Karen
Social:
18 September 2017 | Seattle
23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert
15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory
19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK
17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK
03 June 2017 | Seward AK
03 June 2017 | Denali
25 April 2017 | Seward AK
23 March 2017 | Seward, AK
11 March 2017 | Seward, AK
23 January 2017 | Seward AK
06 December 2016 | Seward AK
12 November 2016 | Seward Alaska
14 October 2016 | Valdez, AK
21 September 2016
05 August 2016 | Seward, AK
26 July 2016 | Whittier, AK
19 July 2016 | Valdez, Alaska
05 July 2016 | Seward, Alaska
Recent Blog Posts
18 September 2017 | Seattle

We are back in Seattle

It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.

23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert

The dinghy holds air again

It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!

15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory

A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy

We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.

19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK

Moving On

"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last [...]

17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK

We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now

We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern [...]

03 June 2017 | Seward AK

Crossing the Gulf of Alaska

We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?

We are back in Seattle

18 September 2017 | Seattle
Larry Nelson
It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.

So, what is new? Well, one of our cell phones (an Apple 5c) is dying. We are following the introduction of the Apple iPhone X and it looks like something to aspire to. Only one problem. It uses facial recognition to unlock the phone. Now most people don't have a problem with that but I am a problem child. Actually, my brother is the problem child. Turns out he can open my Surface Pro 4 computer. It has facial recognition. It reconizes his face as mine.

There are disadvantages to being an identical twin. (Tiny disadvantages).

The picture shows Buffalo on the trip through the Yukon Territory.

The dinghy holds air again

23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert
Larry Nelson
It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!

Tomorrow we head south down Greenville channel and Princess Royal reach. Our stay has been fruitful and in any event the weather was bad. Did I mention that we used the Prince Rupert Rowing & Yacht Club shop as a protected space to repair our dinghy? That was essential and fortuitous. We got lucky again.

A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy

15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory
Larry Nelson
We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.

Anchoring in front of Anan is problematic. The depth drops off steeply from a sand bar at the river entrance forcing an anchored boat to anchor in sand on the edge. If the wind or tide turns while you are bear viewing, the boat can peel off the edge of the slope and the boat drifts away. Boats still anchor there, some with a stern anchor to maintain orientation and some just depend on a prevailing wind onshore. That is called the "crossed finger" approach. We anchored in "fools inlet", about 5 nm away from Anan and took our high speed dinghy to Anan. We pulled our dinghy up on the beach (using the wheels) while we hiked to the bear observatory. There are indeed bears everywhere and the river is chock-a-block full of spawning salmon.

The ranger found us at the observatory. Your dinghy is being destroyed by a Grizzly, he said. Turns out they know the "name" of this Grizzly. She likes the way dinghies bounce when she jumps on them. He would advise when she is done playing and we can go get our dinghy.

There was a commercial outfitter there with a jet boat and she offered to give us a ride to our sailboat and that we could use her canoe to rescue our dinghy. That was really helpful. The photo shows that we brought Panta Rhei to the float and then took her canoe ashore. Two of the flotation chambers still held air, so the dinghy floats enough to tow it to our boat. The front chamber has 5 rips in it. We are hopeful we can patch them, though it is not accomplished yet.

We are in Ketchikan now where it is raining. No surprise there. We have internet and power and coffee so we are quite happy. The rain has to stop before we can patch our dinghy and that is not likely in Ketchikan. But someday ... Until then we have our story to tell

Moving On

19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK
Larry Nelson
"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last month. It's all grand and it's all different even though it is mostly just new arrangements of trees, rocks and water and snow and ice. There are a few take home messages though.

One message is from Fish and Game. They are busy watching this seemingly endless wilderness lest some outsider might take fish home. We were checked by a nice agent in Hoonah (in a float plane!) who asked a few simple questions while we sat next to a bucket of fresh caught crab. Did we know our limit? Turns out it is only 3 unless you are an alaska resident. Then it is 20! And the crab pot we bought in Anchorage wasn't built quite right for Alaska. Really?

And halibut, ... just one a day with maximum two in possession unless you are an Alaska resident. If the fish is in the freezer at home, no limit unless that freezer is on the boat (like ours is) then the limit applies. Fish and Game checked us again on the dock in Petersburg. Turns out they didn't like the details of the crab pots that we bought in Hoonah. That is Hoonah, ALASKA. They were the same crab pots that were inspected and accepted when we were last checked in Hoonah (minus the one from Anchorage which I disposed of)

But we're good because we are Alaska residents!

Get the message?

We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now

17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK
Larry Nelson
We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern latitudes. We arrived at Elfin Cove at midnight. Who would think to arrive at a town with virtually no lights and in the wilderness at midnight? Only Panta Rhei. But we actually made it to the dock without running aground or hitting anyone. Wonders never cease. We spoke of "Alaska twilight" but this night was overcast and dark. That is yet another expression of "negative luck" which is a real but little reported on phenomenon. And incidentally, Cross Sound was rough.

We rested and then moved south to Baranof Warm Springs where we met Ron and Suzie Bauman (SV Tango). This is an amazing place with one of the best hot pools in Alaska.

Then we headed north again to enter Glacier Bay National Park. Along the way we saw lots of bubble feeding humpback whales and caught fresh dungenous crab. The picture shows our dungenous crab prepared for cooking and eating. It was soooo goooood.

SE Alaska is a wonderland with smooth water and protected anchorages and marinas. We are so glad to have finished our crossing of the Gulf of Alaska.

Crossing the Gulf of Alaska

03 June 2017 | Seward AK
Larry Nelson
We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?

Our difficulty is shown in the picture above. In this picture red shows waves above 2 meters. Redder signifies higher. Not shown, but significant, are the headwinds. These conditions arise from a continuing string of low pressure centers that are crossing the Gulf of Alaska one after another. Where is a high pressure center when you need one?

They tell us that high pressure does come. Maybe next year?

So here we sit at the dock. We've made our Costco run, and road tripped to Denali (near Talkeetna, AK). Patience is needed but is running short.

Meanwhile, our friends Ron and Suzie on SV Tango are crossing Dixson Entrance in 2 Meter seas because they couldn't wait more than a day!

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